The present invention relates to an arrangement for protecting the crew of a military vehicle from the consequences of a mine explosion.
In connection with vehicles used in connection with military battle operations, the problem arises that, upon the driving over of a mine and the ensuing explosion, an extreme impact loading on the underside of the vehicle occurs which is transmitted to the vehicle inner floor and, thereby, to the vehicle occupants, who either stand on the vehicle inner floor or sit on the vehicle seats with their feet on the vehicle inner floor or on foot rests connected to the vehicle inner floor and, thus, such explosion events are very dangerous. It is already known to de-couple the vehicle seats in such a military vehicle from the vehicle inner floor and the side walls; however, the danger always still exists of foot injuries as a result of the inward bowing or deflection of the vehicle surfaces due to a mine explosion or other percussive-type event, as well as injuries resulting from the vehicle pieces, splinters, and the like which fly around due to the inward bowing or deflection.
The present invention offers a solution to the challenge of providing an arrangement for the protection of the crew of a military vehicle in the event of a mine explosion which, in spite of the resulting inward bowing or deflection, protects the vehicle inhabitants from a foot injury or an injury due to material flying around.
The solution to the challenge is, in accordance with the present invention, implemented in that, above the vehicle inner floor, a foot floor is arranged which, at least in one operating position, is characterized by a position at a pre-determined spacing from the vehicle inner floor, whereby, between the foot floor and the vehicle inner floor, an air space exists and no rigid, pressure-transmitting connecting elements are located between the foot floor, on the one hand, and the vehicle inner floor in the side walls of the vehicle, on the other hand.
The basic concept of the invention resides in the fact that, within the vehicle, a foot floor is arranged over the actual vehicle inner floor, the foot floor being fully de-coupled from the vehicle inner floor. This is achieved in that, on the one hand, the foot floor is, in its protection-providing, operating position, at a pre-determined distance from the vehicle inner floor which forecloses the risk that the foot floor is directly impacted by the inward bowing or deflection of the vehicle inner floor and in that, on the other hand, between this foot floor and the vehicle bottom, as well as the side walls of the vehicle, no rigid, pressure-transmitting connecting elements are provided. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the arrangement of the present invention, the foot floor is supported by one or more air spring bags on the vehicle inner floor. The number of air spring bags can be selected in correspondence with the stiffness of the foot floor. If the foot floor is soft and flexible, then the support of the foot floor over the entirety of the bottom surface can be effected by means of one or more air spring bags. If the foot floor is, in contrast, rigid and self-supporting, then only a few air spring bags, such as, for example, only bags deployed in the edge region, are required. The rigidity of the foot floor is determined substantially by the weight and whether other additional protective functions such as, for example, a splinter protection function, are to be undertaken.
It is also particularly advantageous if the foot floor can be raised directly from a rest position above the vehicle inner floor into its protection providing operating position. This is particularly effectively implementable by means of an inflatable air spring bag. During the operation of the vehicle, the vehicle crew can use the raised foot floor. During entrance or exit from the vehicle, the foot floor can be lowered by a reduction of the air pressure, in order to thereupon make use of the full interior space height of the vehicle.
In its raised condition, the foot floor operates as a foot support de-coupled from the vehicle inner floor and permits, in comparison to conventional foot supports, a comfortable foot support function. The distance between the raised foot floor and the vehicle inner floor permits a free dynamic resilient spring action by the vehicle inner floor in the event of mine detonation and prevents the further transmission of an explosion impulse to the feet of the vehicle inhabitants.
An embodiment of the arrangement of the present invention is described hereinafter in connection with the drawings.